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Manual Geotextile Thickness Gauge

Manual Geotextile Thickness Gauge
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Parent Product
Geotextile Thickness Gauges
Standards
ISO 9863
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Manual Geotextile Thickness Gauge - QualiGTX™ TG 40

QualiGTX™ TG 40 manual geotextile thickness gauge measures nominal thickness of geotextiles and geomembranes at 2 kPa, 20 kPa, and 200 kPa using a lever and dead weight mechanism. A 25 cm² presser foot contacts the specimen, and calibrated weights acting through the lever arm produce each pressure step without motors, load cells, or a power connection. Manufacturers, contractors, and construction materials laboratories use the instrument for incoming inspection and routine production checks.

The lever geometry is what keeps the frame compact. Reaching 200 kPa across a 25 cm² foot calls for 500 N at the specimen, which would take roughly 51 kg of dead weight stacked directly above it. Multiplying force through an extended loading arm brings the weight set down to something a technician lifts one-handed, and the complete instrument still fits a 1050 × 520 mm bench area at 40 kg.

A dial indicator reads thickness across a 0 to 12 mm range with 0.01 mm graduations, covering thin liner sheet through heavy nonwoven fabric. Operation stays direct: place the specimen on the reference plate, lower the presser foot, add the weight for the required pressure step, and take the reading after the specified dwell. Laboratories that want method coverage without electronics, load cell calibration, or software validation often specify the QualiGTX™ TG 40 for that reason.

Manual Geotextile Thickness Gauge - QualiGTX™ TG 40 Applications

The QualiGTX™ TG 40 suits any operation that checks geosynthetic thickness regularly but does not need automated loading or data capture.

  • Geotextile Manufacturing: confirms nonwoven and woven roll goods hold nominal thickness at 2 kPa across production runs
  • Geomembrane and Liner Production: verifies smooth polymeric sheet thickness during extrusion and calendering as a shift-level quality check
  • Contractor Incoming Inspection: lets site and yard laboratories verify delivered material against the specification before it goes into the works
  • Construction Materials Laboratories: adds geosynthetic thickness capability to a general testing lab without adding a powered instrument to the calibration schedule
  • Landfill and Containment Projects: checks liner, cushion, and separation layers against project documents at the point of acceptance
  • Road, Railway, and Embankment Works: measures separation and reinforcement geotextiles supplied for subgrade applications
  • Hydraulic and Irrigation Engineering: tests canal and reservoir lining materials where thickness supports permeability and durability assessment
  • Training and Teaching Laboratories: demonstrates pressure-dependent thickness behavior on equipment where the loading mechanism stays visible to the student
Manual Geotextile Thickness Gauge

Standards

The QualiGTX™ TG 40 carries out thickness determination in line with the recognized international test method for geosynthetics.

  • ISO 9863 - Geosynthetics: Determination of Thickness at Specified Pressures

Manual Geotextile Thickness Gauge - QualiGTX™ TG 40 Key Features

The QualiGTX™ TG 40 delivers three-stage pressure testing through a mechanical design with no electronics in the load path.

  • Lever Amplified Loading: multiplies applied weight through an extended arm so the instrument reaches 200 kPa without a large or heavy weight stack
  • Three Standard Pressure Stages: covers 2 kPa, 20 kPa, and 200 kPa, matching the pressure sequence that multi-pressure test methods call for
  • Dead Weight Force Generation: derives pressure from calibrated mass rather than a transducer, so accuracy holds without electronic recalibration
  • Self-Weighted 2 kPa Presser Foot: uses the 510.2 g foot mass alone to establish the first pressure stage, keeping tolerance at ±0.01 kPa
  • 25 cm² Presser Foot: matches the contact area specified for general geosynthetic thickness determination
  • 0 to 12 mm Dial Indicator: reads thickness in 0.01 mm graduations across a range that covers thin membranes through heavy nonwovens
  • No Power Supply Required: runs anywhere on the bench with no electrical connection, which suits site laboratories and yard inspection points
  • Simple Mechanical Construction: keeps the number of wearing parts low and makes the loading sequence visible to the operator, shortening training time
  • Compact Bench Frame: fits a 1050 × 520 mm footprint at 40 kg, so the instrument shares bench space with other quality control equipment

Theory and Method

Thickness in a geosynthetic is a pressure-dependent quantity, not a fixed dimension. Nonwoven fabrics and needle-punched materials compress noticeably as load builds, so a thickness figure carries meaning only alongside the pressure that produced it. Test methods respond by fixing three variables: the presser foot contact area, the pressure applied, and how long that pressure is held. The reading is the perpendicular distance between the reference plate and the presser foot at the end of the dwell period.

Dead weight loading gives the most direct route to a known pressure, since force follows from mass and gravity with with no load cell or electronics to recalibrate.. The presser foot itself weighs 510.2 g, which produces 5 N over its 25 cm² face and therefore exactly 2 kPa on the specimen. That first pressure stage requires no added weight at all, and the tolerance holds to ±0.01 kPa because the foot mass is fixed.

Higher pressure stages use the lever to solve a practical problem. A lever balances moments about its pivot, so a weight hung far from the fulcrum produces a much larger force at the short arm where the presser foot sits. Extending the loading arm lets a modest weight set generate 50 N for the 20 kPa stage and 500 N for the 200 kPa stage, holding each within ±0.1 kPa and ±1 kPa. Loading the specimen directly with those forces would demand a weight stack heavier than the instrument itself.

Manual Geotextile Thickness Gauge - QualiGTX™ TG 40 Technical Specifications

ParameterSpecification
Loading PrincipleLever amplified dead weight
Presser Foot Area25 cm²
First Pressure Stage5 N presser foot load, 2 kPa ± 0.01 kPa (foot mass 510.2 g)
Second Pressure Stage20 kPa ± 0.1 kPa
Third Pressure Stage200 kPa ± 1 kPa
Thickness Measuring Range0 to 12 mm
Dial Indicator Graduation0.01 mm
VoltageNot required, fully mechanical operation
Dimensions (W × D × H)1050 × 520 × 1120 mm
Net Weight40 kg

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Geotextile Thickness Gauges